We got up and had breakfast at our hotel then we took a bus ride to Kathryn’s school USFQ (University of San Francisco at Quito). It is a very beautiful campus. The buildings are all old with marble halls, walkways and floors. It is very well maintained and the grounds are amazing. I thought that AU’s campus was beautiful; USFQ has us beat hands down.
After our campus visit we had lunch with Kathryn’s Quito “parents” Ruth and Gonzolo. They are wonderful people. They reminded us of Grandpa Rouse and how Grandpa and Grandma Stocksdale interacted with each other. We had a wonderful meal and conversation. They love Kathryn and she is happy with them, an answer to our prayers I think.
After lunch, we headed to the marketplace to do some Christmas shopping via Ecuador. The items are so cheap here, you can get T-shirts for $3:00 each, scarves 3 for $5:00, there are so many different things to choose from, it is nothing like Shipshewana. We shopped until we dropped and had no more hands to carry any more bags. We took a taxi back to our hotel, dropped off all of our goodies and went out in search of supper. We found a Mexican place a “short” walk away, all of the walks are “short” but seem to take 15-20 minutes to get there.
After supper we were all just dead tired. Our taxi will be here at 4:00 a.m. to take us to the airport. So we need to get repacked, add our marketplace goodies and head to bed. I went down and wrote in the hotel’s book about our stay. By the time I got back to the room upstairs, Greg had our bags all re-packed with all of our goodies and we didn’t even need the extra duffle that I had packed. ïŠ ïŠ
We then went to bed to try and get a little sleep; morning and 3:30 a.m. will be here soon.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.